Past Memories, Present Love
by Kuroi Kokoro 09
Summary: An unexpected clash, a sudden touch on the bare skin, and both the teenagers were flung back to the past memories of their previous life. However, upon learning the past, life would have to be utterly altered to accept one another's deepest worlds.


**Past Memories, Present Love**

"Morning, Sakura!" Early in a Monday morning, every student's most energetic, just as the popular platinum blonde as she tiptoed into the crowded noisy classroom.

"Ah, good morning, Ino…" Haruno Sakura, a damsel with weird inborn pink hair, greeted her best friend with a sincere smile. For knowing each other since childhood, there's impossible Ino's not noticed the flash of confusion in Sakura's green emeralds.

"What's wrong?" Ino asked, neither forcing nor chatty. "What're in your mind?"

"Oh, nothing special…" It's a pretty weak excuse, as the slight panic gave its way. With Ino's pushing gaze, Sakura, being defeated, poured out what she'd experienced.

* * *

"I'd be fine, dear." Sakura smiled at her boyfriend with flooding love in her eyes.

"You're sure, blossoms?" The boy knew she'd loved to be walked back to home.

"I insist, Sasuke-kun." She pecked his right cheek. "Just go; your car's waiting…"

"Okay; be careful and call upon returning, 'right?" After she nodded promisingly, he kissed her forehead that she's resentful, and boarded into a black High Society Car. The car zoomed into the busy road and soon, it disappeared among the rapid traffics. Sakura sighed in disappointment, and gingerly she walked down the streets to home.

For almost a year in the Konoha High, she's been going out with Uchiha Sasuke, the youngest second child of the Commissioner of Police of the Konoha Police Force, Fugaku. By mentioning the clan's name, both of them would enjoy loads of privileges, like discounts, cheaper movie tickets for the best spots in the house and a load more.

After watching the latest blockbuster, they've planned to have a copious dinner, served by an expensive grand Italian restaurant few streets away, near Sakura's house. However, an impetuous welcoming party of an important guest smashed their dream. Besides having dinner, Sasuke's needed to chase off the gangsters around her home. Despite his sleek body build among his age-group, Sasuke's a really big-league fighter; a black-stripped red belt in Taekwondo at fifteen; a year later than his brother, Itachi. With him by her side, Sakura would feel she's the luckiest and safest girl in the world.

"Hiya, missy," Right as she stepped into the region, the Head Banchou appeared. "Aren't your guard's, Mr. Perfect and the His Highness Prince, here with you…missy?"

Sakura said not a thing except just showing her utter disgust at those gangsters, who had been acting around in the nearby alley at the surrounds of Sakura's house. She's stressed on her deportments, so she couldn't randomly strike any of them at all, unless the situation called for it. Nevertheless, she's aware that she totally stuck in—

"What're yar gonna do to this wench, yar bunch of stinky good-for-nothings…?" An angry yet soothingly firm voice, but never belongs to Sasuke's, rang from her back. She turned round and fixed her gaze on an adolescent of about the same age as her…

He's got a muscular and well-proportioned build, yet a bit shorted than Sasuke. Beneath those rampant blonde spiky locks, two vigorous azure sapphires scintillated, shining a sparkle of hazard in the jewels towards the gang, but consolation at Sakura. On his gaunt face, there're three strange whisker-marks on either sides of his cheeks. Beneath his unzipped black-and-orange jacket, the corseted torso shone at its glories. In comparison with that grumbling troops of gangsters, armed with heavy metal bars, the boy's out of weapons, provided with only his bare fists in the pockets and his legs, or else the nearest wooden club and bamboo stick a few yards from him on his right.

"That's NONE of yar business in yar poor ass, Bloody Fool…" The Head Banchou, a great deal larger than the blonde, growled. By his orders, three huskies rushed out. The boy moved not a finger until the three were close enough to beat him into a pulp. Yet, swiftly in the coming second, he ducked from two hard fists charging at his face. Briskly, he shoved his right elbow into the stomach of the stalwart in front of his sight. The blonde hasted not and the second one's knocked out by a powerful left uppercut. Lastly, he swirled around and did a perfect butterfly kick on the third one on his right. All these didn't take him for than five seconds, and those three dropped unconscious.

"Good-for-nothings…**GO!!**" The Head howled and the whole gang flooded over. Just as Sakura thought that he'd die from the heavy punches with sickening crunches, it's made clear as the boy fought his way out from the crowd without a single wound. In shortly five minutes, the gang's routed and the blonde stood in the perfect shape.

"Don't you move, or else…this poppet's gonna got her beautiful throat ripped!" As the last resort, the Head caught Sakura and threatened with a dagger at her throat. For the past two to three years, Sakura cried the first tear, fearing over the situation…

"You'd think this'll work on me, scoundrel?" Ever so calm, the blonde sneered. In a blur of yellow, he stood in front of the Head and shoved his fist right into his face. Before he waved his hands frantically from pain, the saver parted Sakura from his grip. However, his back's open to the waving dagger; there he got a slash from that blade. He furrowed his brows in the stinging pain, but he bore it and sped off from the alley.

********

"Are you alright, rosebuds?" He asked as soon as they arrived at Sakura's house.

"I'm fine, thanks." She replied and had an uncovered pink blush on her cheeks. She's been with Sasuke, yet they still remained the stage of kissing and holding hands. To be carried in bridal style and handed in a glove with a total new stranger so closely, it's nothing Sakura's experienced before with the opposite gender, exclude her father. There they're in the living room, so quiet except the ruffling sounds of the first-aid kit, which Sakura offered to the blonde to treat his deep wound on his back by his hands.

"Err, thanks for saving me." Sakura's got weary of such silence and made a step.

"You're welcome," He said, but without much intonation. "For a piece of advice, I'd say you'd better haul that shitty boyfriend of yours whenever you're going home."

"Sasuke-kun's NO irresponsible kind of person you thought of!" Sakura shrilled, disgusted to heed this queer bird ill-talking about Sasuke. "Hold your tongue, you—!"

"If he's a responsible man, then he'd never leave his love alone even he's busy," He chipped in as he's tidying up the messy first-aid kit, speaking as if he knew that all. "That's what I firmly trust in ever since I'd come across such topic of tender passion."

Truly, that's what Sakura would sometimes conclude on their love relationships. The Uchiha genius's always occupied by other matters and couldn't spare time on her. Randomly, Sakura would even question whether Sasuke's going out with another girl.

"I've got to go." The blonde stood up and made his directions to the front door. "Get yourself a trusted bodyguard next time when you're returning home, Princess."

"W-Wait—" Sakura reflexively grabbed his left hand. As their bare skin touched, a flashlight blinded Sakura's sight and she raised her arms to protect her closed eyes. What she soon saw was a figure standing before her, casting a long shadow over her. Even though the back's facing at her, she noticed it's a male from the muscular build. A piece of black cloth's knotted at the back of his head of rampant blonde spiky locks, leaving those long tails fluttering in the breeze. Sakura's certain he'd be looking smart, provided those clothing weren't shredded into rags and he's in his good whole piece. Under the scarlet knee-length cloak with black flames below, "dancing" in the winds, he wore black sandals that just reached up to the middle of his strong steady shanks, orange trousers and the same jacket as the youth who saved her chastity and dignity.

The arms were swung out, shielding her from something supposedly precarious. By fractions as if in great pain, the head turned round and the lips moved into a smile. After murmuring something so blurred that Sakura could hardly identify each syllable, he collapsed and revealed red spilling blood drops through that deep hole in his chest. Just in the next second, he lay there so very still, like a puppet with its broken chords. The murderer in front held his horses for a moment, and slowly he raised his sword…

"_NO…!"_ Sakura shrieked. The next thing she realised was that she's in her house, still grabbing the stranger blonde's palm; although his eyes were wide open in dread.

"What the hell…was that?!" He murmured and held Sakura to the nearest chair. Judging from his awed expression, it's obvious that he's as well surprised at the sight.

"I-I don't have a slightest idea at all…" Sakura panted. Her limbs were trembling, partially out of fear to that horrible sight, yet more of it was a hibernating happiness.

"I should really get going now." The blonde said and this time, he really left her.

* * *

"Oh, my poor cherry blossom…" Ino said with a commiserative look on her face. "It must be VERY hard for you with all these terrors…here, cry in this Valley of Hap—" She advanced with a bear hug and her breasts-of-pride were right in front of Sakura…

"Like HELL I'll!" Sakura cried and swung her right palm for a smart smack on her, who just barely invaded it. "Don't let me hear this again, or else you'd be in trouble!"

"Hello!" The class teacher, Hatake Kakashi, appeared just when the bell shrilled. "So, we gonna having a new classmate from Uzu no Kuni and he'll be with us till end. Well, show your big round of applause to our boy. Come in, Namikaze-Uzumaki-kun."

When the door slid open, a juvenile with rampant blonde spiky locks stepped in. The girls gasped at first sight, ignoring those odd whisker marks on each of his cheeks. When he swept the class with a ray from his breathtakingly beautiful azure sapphires, some of them were even pushed further to the very brink of fainting at the spot by it.

"I'm Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. It's alright if you just call me by my given name, Naruto, since my surname's kinda long 'n clumsy to be pronounced." When he spoke, a wide ridiculous grin ripped his full lips apart and it plastered on his face throughout. It's a contrast to his charm and some girl's dreams of the handsome were shattered.

"Y-You…!" It took time for Sakura to recover from the shock upon meeting him, the strange saver from yesterday's turmoil. Everyone's attention was also paid on her, who's shot up from her chair and pointed a shaky finger at the new guy of their class.

"Oh! You've so known our new star already, huh, Haruno-chan?" Kakashi asked, intrigued as his right eye—the only visible part of his face—shone with great interests. The other girls gasped again when they learnt about this piece of news to all of them.

"Err…yeah, somehow…" She stuttered and sat down with great embarrassment. Oh, Kami-sama! What would the people say about this; already dating Prince Sasuke, as well shattering many virgin hearts, and now having a new candy for a new taste?!

"Hmm, if considering this, why don't let him be your neighbour, Haruno-chan?" Kakashi said. "Since you've known each other, you can help Naruto-kun out, alright?"

"Huh? Yeah…okay…" She replied weakly. Quietly, Naruto walked to his own seat. He settled quickly and fished out the needed stationary and books from his book bag.

"Well…I'm Sakura, Haruno Sakura." She greeted, yet she wouldn't dare shaking, after what's happened yesterday back in the house when their bare skin contacted…

"I'm Namikaze-Uzumaki Naruto. Please to meet you…Sakura-chan." He nodded. He knew what she's thought, as he also restrained his hand from sticking out to shake. Even though it's his ever first time he called out her given name with such informality, Sakura felt a sweep of heavenly happiness in her heart, as if he's called it out before…

"Okay, if Naruto-kun's settled down, let's start our lessons!" Kakashi announced, gaining so many discontented moans from them all, wishing to slack for this morning.

* * *

"I'm sorry again, Sakura." After the day's finished and everyone's rushing home, Sakura met her love at the school gate to come across with his half-hearted apologies. "The guest's asked for a tour around Konoha and Father's appointed me to do that…"

"No! I don't wanna!" Sakura pouted and snuggled her head into Sasuke's chest, as if a little girl nestling into her mother's warm breasts. "The gangsters are so scary! Please, I beg you, Sasuke-kun, _please_ bring me home today before you go, _please_…?"

"I'd love to, but I really can't, dear," He suspired and kissed her "large" forehead. "Father said I must be going now, or else it'll turn up into a catastrophe. See ya later." Once again, he boarded into the same car as yesterday and it left the school campus.

"If I were ya, I'd have long dumped this bastard." A firm voice rang from behind. Startled, Sakura swirled around and saw Naruto leaning at the doorpost of the Gate.

"That's none of your businesses, Monsieur Nosy." Sakura seethed at the blonde. "If Sasuke-kun's busy with his own work, that's fine of he couldn't accompany me—"

"—Even if his girlfriend would be plunged into danger?" He cut in right through. His two azure sapphires seemed to have the ability of an X-Ray, and he stood straight, "After today, I'd advise you to consider dumping this jerky man, and be a strong girl." Before Sakura could react, he's already walked down the street, leaving her behind…

"W-Wait, Naruto…!" She ran towards him and walked by his side pretty closely. For a long time, both them kept their mouth shut and made way to their own home. After the experience from yesterday, none of the gangsters appeared in the daylight, only cowering and making foul hand signs at Naruto in the shadows of the dim alleys. It appeared that Naruto's a way-far powerful figure than Sasuke's. When he's with her, as those dudes dared to come out and make irritating noises of harassment at Sakura. However, the blonde never bothered to make a scary face at them just as Sasuke did. By his side, without the interaction of their fleshy skin, Sakura felt mildness from him; unlike how she'd only felt that from the Uchiha Prince through their entwined fingers. In conclusion, Naruto gave off a unique aura which differs from other boys she knew.

"Err…Naruto," Sakura squeaked after silencing so long for about fifteen minutes. "Why don't you tell me a little about you, and I'll tell you mine? We're friends, are—"

"Even if we're, I don't see a necessity of telling you my past, present or future." He snapped, causing Sakura taken slight back. She frowned and pouted, ignoring him.

He glanced by his eyes' corners and started, "_Uzumaki_ is my Mother's surname, while _Namikaze_ is my Father's. My parents wanted me to keep my Mother's surname, yet they couldn't neglect this factual reality that I must be named to be a 'Namikaze', so I'm given this ridiculously long weird surname. And as for my given name 'Naruto', it's given by my godfather, who happened to be my Father's mentor, the Erotic Jiraiya, as my parents thought that I should grow up as the main character in his first novel, being protectively brave and having that 'gutsy determination of not giving up' easily.

"As for why I can fight like the top of the first-rate, I have no good answer to it; just for your references, I achieved the black belt in Taekwondo at the age of twelve." He reached his hand to a passing tree. A branch's between his forefinger and middle, and a single rapid interchange movement, it snapped with the cleanest cut in the end, as if the long delicate fingers were the cutting scissors. They crossed by another tree; this time, he chopped off a thick branch with a Taekwondo style with great swiftness. Sakura's seen Sasuke did it before, but Naruto's way quicker but with less power in it.

"All these insane strengths came from nowhere could be explained by scientists. It seemed that it's born within me as a part and it's inseparable from my living being. In both my parents' lineages, VERY RARE occasions like mine would appear in history, and they're all the Great Heroes to be remembered on the foundation stones to me." Just about time, they arrived at the gate of Sakura's house, but they never stopped by, and walked straight towards Naruto's, a wonderful villa of a dream a few blocks away. They went to his big bedroom and he took out an old album with black leather cover.

"I wasn't the first boy in the lineage to be 'Naruto', but this, is Naruto the First. I'm Naruto the Sixth, the sixth child inheriting the name of the heroic man of his era." He pointed at the man in the first page of the album. Except the odd-looking clothes, it's _all_ the present-time Naruto's possessing: that appearance, such grand proclivity… "Throughout my family after him, there're many legends and sayings that he's a hero, the Greatest Leader of the once-village Konoha, or they said the Fire Shadow, Hokage. For the boys, he's the ideal idol to be learnt from, yet he died young at twenty-eight. He's got himself a belle as his wife, yet there's no actual record on this legendary fact, as part of the family photo was torn, and the son of Naruto the First took this section, and with some of the villagers, he escaped from the hometown with deepest sorrow.

"It's said that, before they departed for a battle to preserve their beloved ones, the couple swore to the deities that they would be reincarnated to be together again. The war's lasted for days and weeks, and they're the last two survivors of their village. Upon the confrontation with the worst enemy, he died after confessing his love to her. No one knows what happened next, or how trusty this is even with traceable History. If it's authentic, then when and who would the genuine Reincarnation of the two be? In the family, many do resemble him, yet none of their wives met those requirements: the only testimony of Naruto the First's wife is that she's a rosebud in red clothing…"

"What…the…" Sakura breathed out as she's stunned by a long train of thoughts; she spotted how alike was the red shoulder with a white circle in the photo with hers. She's blinded to Naruto's silent surprise and sped back to her home in a short minute. Searching through her bookshelves, she took an old album with floral-pattern gilding, and ran way back to the Villa. In the grand parlour with a gorgeous crystal chandelier, Naruto's sitting in the sofa, waiting anxiously for her to return after the sudden leave.

"Naruto…I…" She panted heavily under Naruto's inquisitive gaze of her actions. "I want to ask…if…you want to…to…"—gulped—"Take another journey to the flash?"

"Why would you ask for that, Sakura-chan?" He's curious. "Aren't you scared?"

"There's a…necessity in doing this." She held out her right palm, waiting for him. Paused for a second, he then took it with his right hand. Most instantly like last time, it happened, but without the flash of light and loads of information pumped into her.

* * *

"Alright, it's picture time! Everyone pose!" An adult cheered them all up lightly.

"W-Why do I have to get my picture taken with this jerk?!" One blonde shouted, pointing his accusing finger at the other in utter disgust; it's as if they didn't get well.

"That's my line, _usuratongachi_." He who's wearing blue with ebony hair replied.

"Say what?!" The blonde cried, posing a fist as if he's going to punch the ebony.

"Come on, we have to." The adult tried to calm them down, and it worked a bit.

"I'm just happy I get to be in a picture with you!" Sakura said to the ebony boy, who looked as if it's wasting his time, so he ignored her with a little scowl on his face.

"Yeah, I'm _super_ happy that I'm in a picture with Sakura-cha—" The blonde said, and this annoyed her with such goofy immature behaviours of the shortest boy of all.

"Sensei," She said, irked by all the stupidity of the boy. "Can we leave him out?"

"Aw, come on…" The blonde's flabbergasted by that reaction of the lovely lady.

So some more squabbles, the three finally tranquilized, and the photo's taken…

********

Sakura stood in front of a boy and saw him through blurred crying weepy eyes. She recognized him as one of those two boys she's taken that photo with back then. In her heart, a stabbing pain's killing her and a large lump's stuck in her croaky throat.

"I beg of you," She sobbed as she said, begging, "Please…please bring him back! I couldn't...I couldn't do it! The only person…who can probably save him now is you!"

"Sakura-chan, you really like him, huh…?" The boy said and he raised his thumb. Grinning, he promised, "Don't worry! I'll bring him back; it's a promise of a lifetime!" After saying it, he left with four other boys and disappeared among the vast woods…

*******

Sakura's in a hospital; she could tell it simply from the familiar layout and smell, yet the facilities were a bit lagged behind from what they're having in the recent days. She's facing at the door, hinting she's just ended her visit with the patient behind her.

"Sorry; I had to make you wait a while," She's calm, despite that interior pain… "But I promise that next time," She turned around, "I won't be getting into your way."

********

She's walking down the street with little people yet at the busiest hour of day…

"Sakura-chan…?" Someone's called her name, and reflexively she turned round. Bit by bit, her eyes widened with astonishment; she recognized the familiar orange…

"You've…got taller than me?!" She exclaimed, indicating that time's flown past. Upon meeting this old friend, she felt really happy: not only because of their reunion, but it looked as if the adolescent's gotten a lot stronger, both physically and mentally.

"How do I look?" She poked her cheeks. "Do I look more like a woman now…?"

"You look fine!" He said with his goofy grin again. "You haven't changed at all!"

_That definitely did it!_ She pouted at the response and he's still oblivious at that.

Just then, a nude sexy lady appeared in the broad daylight, which "she's" a brat. When enthusiastically asked about "a real drool of an act", the adolescent chuckled?!

"I'm sorry, but I'm not a kid anymore." He spoke with a contrasting serious tone. "From now on, you shouldn't use that either." Just as she had a sparkling admiration, he cried, "Such a thing is mediocre! Behold; this new pervy technique I developed…!"

"Ah…?" She's mused by the boy, and it took some time for her to load his words. "A new…PERVERTED technique?!" With a hard punch, she sent him flying metres far.

"I'm WRONG! You HAVEN'T changed a bit!" She shrieked and grabbed his collar, "I haven't seen you for TWO years and within TWO minutes you jump into that! Idiot! What about that wonderful feeling of admiration I've had for you just now, UH-HUH?! As if I could feel sad that I wasn't grown up like you…!" She shook him hard by collar, and though he's not unconscious from that, he's soon disabled from doing anything…

********

The huge cloud of dust blocked Sakura's sight and it took some to residue down. When everything's clear, she couldn't believe in what she saw and her eyes widened.

A freshly-drawn bloody-red monster with four gigantic sweeping tails ululated. At its stomach, a long blade's pointed to pierce it through, yet it's invulnerable to that. No matter how hard the blade's pushed forward, it'd never go through that monster. It's pushed deeper into the rocks underneath it, indicating the implying strong force…

The clawed hand took hold of the blade and with a "slight" swerve away from it, the blade, like a boomerang, cut through the air and caused another deal of damage. From a far distance the blade's originated from a serpentine monster at a higher spot. It seemed that it's more of a battle between two monsters that could only be a myth.

Upon witnessing the fight, Sakura felt her body's shaking vigorously from terror; yet the main reason of her tremble was not due to that, but out of fear for somebody. Soon, those drops of swelling tears in her shocked wide eyes rolled down her cheeks.

"Enough!" She ran towards him, even though she's told to stay away from that. "That's enough! I'll rescue him for you! Please…please stop! So…you don't have to…" However, the words never reached to the beast, with only a strong malicious power…

A sweep of one of the tails knocked her down, and the wound on her arm hurt. The stinging pain seeped into her muscles and blood vessels like an intense virulence. She couldn't move, just only waiting for Death's monstrous claws to descend on her…

Fortunately enough, help's hand came in the stead of Death's, and the monster, now bit by bit, being returned to be a human, let out its last ululation before it's gone. Where the monster was for the last minute, the familiar blonde's collapsed in there, with all those burnt wounds were so nasty that it's a miracle for him being even alive.

Sakura proceeded to heal him after treating the still-hurting wound on her arm. During the healing, she wished to be of more of his aids, so she wouldn't be a burden, and that he won't have to bear so much pain on him, physically and psychologically…

********

She's in despair over the ruins of her hometown. All she could do was waiting…

Suddenly, a loud bang echoed throughout the land, and such feelings…it's HIM! The final hope, the trump card has returned to their aid and defeat the worst enemy! Over the rocks and boulders, she could spot a flash of yellow shuttling in the battle…

********

"Sakura-chan…?" The blonde asked with a deal of curiosity hanging in his voice. Below them were construction works going around; it seemed that time's past again, and this time, the ruins just then were now undergoing reconstruction and buildings, both temporary or being built, scattered all over the place. Everything's getting lively.

"There's something I've got to tell you," Her cheeks were hot, so she's blushing. Taking a deep breath, she walked a step to close up the little distance between them. She tiptoed; the juvenile's now a giant to her. Their lips were just a centimetre away…

"…I love you." She whispered and initiatively, she kissed his surprisingly-soft lips. He didn't seem to expect such to come, for that he's stunned and rooted at his spot. After an exactly half-a-minute to understand it, he's so thunderstruck and astonished.

"W-what do…no, d-do you truly…" He's confused and he spoke so incoherently. He fought with himself inwardly, and finally spurted out, "I mean, what about 'him'?"

She'd expected that to come; it's just a matter of time for the question to come. However, she's made up her mind and it didn't hurt as much than she's thought to be. Nevertheless, the simple mention of him just hurt like hell in her heart, so it's to him.

"There's no way to be a little kid, babbling on something that's gone from me." She said quietly and calmly, staring at her toes as if there's something very intriguing. "I have to move on, no matter what. Besides, he's not my true light in my living being, He's not there when I yearned for help, and he's not there to comfort my uneasiness. Yet," She looked up with a fluttering heart. "You're always by my side, for these years. I'm really grateful for what you've done and I as so appreciate for your devoted love."

There they stood in complete silence, only the soft hammering sounds of wood, the villagers' cheery calls and orders in the site and birds chirping in the light breeze. Slowly, the setting sun crept behind the forest, casting a pinkish orange veil in the sky. There on one of the hilltops, the two stared deep into each other's shimmering eyes. With a gulp, the boy hugged her in his chest, arms tightened up, but it's not choking. They're so close that Sakura could hear the accelerating heartbeat of her loved boy…

"…Thank you, Sakura-chan." He whispered into her right ear, and it tickled her. Shivers of excitement and weird sensations shot down her spine and she purred out. She kissed his neck, and soon their lips joined together again, never parting for a bit…

********

"Congratulations…!" The crowd cheered and roared out from their feet below. The village's revived to its normal-day liveliness which Sakura's familiar with for years. Standing beside her was the blonde, yet he's so different from the one she knew well. Despite his daily childish behaviour, he stood there with a calming grin of a kind king.

In the past, he wore clothes of shocking-bright colours and orange's his theme. As he grew older, darker colours fused into his taste and as for the moment right now, beneath the flapping scarlet knee-length short-sleeved cloak with black flames below, he still had that suit that he's been wearing since his return from his Training Journey. Even though the colours stood out much among the black clad of the other villagers, it really suited him and everything balanced out pretty well with this crash of colours.

"SHINOBIS, KUNOICHIS, AND EVERYONE IN KONOHA…!" He needed not to roar, but just calling out with a five-metre radius of listeners and everyone's hushed silent. "TODAY, WE ARE HERE TO WITNESS KONOHA FORGING AHEAD TO A NEW LEGEND! THANKS TO MY PRECESSDORS, WE ARE ALL STANDING HERE WITH A BURNING WILL, THE **WILL OF FIRE** WITHIN OUR HEARTS! THIS FIRE, WILL LAST _FOREVER AND EVER_!" The crowd thundered, as if trying to assault the blonde with their sheer volume wall.

He waited for a while for the voice to succumb a bit before he raised his hands, totally silencing the crowd, "Today's a great day to us; it's not just me to be a Hokage, but also I like you to be my brothers and sister, so that you'll all be witnesses of this."

Just as he's done, Sakura felt she's scooped up to bridal style and she squeaked. In the next sec, she stood beside the grand blonde, looking at him with great curiosity. Excitement's emitting from him, and sheer happiness flooded from every of his pores. Shockingly, he knelt on one knee and fished a small box from the sleeve of his jacket. In the velvet cushion sat the shining ring with an elegant diamond in the middle of it, flanked by six egg-shaped pink rubies, all set upon a ring's band made from rose gold.

"Haruno Sakura, wilt thou…marry me?" He asked half-solemnly in a new ascent. Jubilant moisture swelled in Sakura's eyes and she nodded, as her throat's got a lump. His smile widened. As he stood, he gently slipped the ring onto her left middle finger.

It's been dead silent when it happened, but as the ring's slipped onto her finger, the large mass of people reached the summit of their happiness for the new couple…

********

Groggily, Sakura stirred and woke up. She attempted to recall what's happened, when a torrent of a warm sweet breath fluttered a lock of hair on her sticky forehead. She looked up, trying to move as little as possible, and came face to face with the boy. He's still in his sleep, and his deep breaths sounded like a beast breathing in and out, yet his face's that of an angel, despite the gleaming sticky remains of beads of sweat.

She giggled to herself as she finally recalled what'd happened before her sleep. She tried to get closer to him, yet a pain from the lower part of her body prevented it. She hissed quietly, yet it still woke him up. He realised what's going on and chuckled.

"How are you feeling, love?" He asked in his husky voice as he kissed her cheek. The shot of excitement ran down her spine again just as always anytime he kissed her. She smiled and hugged him to pull him closer till their skin rubbed against each other. She cuddled into his chest, as he rubbed her back and played her hair simultaneously.

"The Best of the best, Honeybee…" She answered and kissed his lips voluntarily. He chuckled again and rolled over, till he's on top of her, which made her gasped out. His breaths started to rage, in synchronisation with Sakura's accelerating heartbeats. His hands roamed over her body and every inch of her skin that he's touched shrilled. Blood circulated all over her body, and her reasons began to shatter to nothingness…

********

She tired all over as she lay on the bed, panting and heaving heavily with sweat. It's hopeless…that pain's taken most of her toll…just let her be, dying with that pain…

"Hang in there, Sakura…!" An encouraging voice of an older lady rang below her. "Just a moment and the boy would be out! Bear with me, Sakura, girl! You can do it!"

'Oh yes, that's it…' Sakura thought to herself. The reason why she's now in here, the reason why she's now bearing this intense pain…is her baby with her loved one…

"Sakura-chan…" The mature baritone of him was all so familiar and close to her. She could feel his warm breaths near her, and anxiety through their clenching hands. A large rough hand soothed her creasing forehead smeared with large drops of sweat. It felt all so nice of it, for him to stay closely by her side at her most strenuous hours. It felt like she's back in her teenager days, when her mixed feelings were all so upset, yet the blonde would correct and put them back in the right place with his presence.

"Oh…darn…you…_**ALL!!**_" She shrieked as the pain returned in a full tearing blast. She thrashed against everything within her arms' reach, such as the man's own hands. She squeezed them hard that she wouldn't mind if she'd break all the bones of them, until she heard a loud squalling of a baby and the squeals of happiness among adults.

"Oh, Sakura, you did it!" The lady said so happily, as if she's the one giving birth. "He's _a_ handsome boy, and I dare to say he's going to be a carbon copy of his father!"

"Le…let me see him," She's so weak to speak loudly, but her soft wish's granted. The next thing in her arms was a soft bundle, as if she's holding a large soft beancurd. Under the light, she saw a baby with pink skin which's just had the blood wiped away. It's still crying—or precisely wailing—deafeningly. It's just as the lady's claimed earlier, it's going to be a carbon copy of his father for being so loud, so as his facial features…

"I'm glad…" She smiled to her husband. "To have such a lovely baby with you…"

"So am I, Sakura-chan…" He whispered and hugged them all into his bear-hug…

********

"O Darling…" Sakura whispered as she snuggled into her husband's broad chest. "O, how I wish this battle would be over…how I wish this has never ever happened…"

"Cheer, Love." He hushed as she started to cry again. "It'll end soon, I promise."

"Yeah, it'll end soon _my butt_! Everyone I love has almost died by his evil hands, and now we're the last two survivors of Konoha!" She wailed at the horrible thought. "What if we die and our son would never see his family again for the remaining days? Oh, my poor dear son…he'll be leading a miserable life…and he's just a five-year-old!"

"Sakura-chan," His voice's sterner so as to quieten her down with his authority. "Our son's in great caring hands, so I'm _sure_ that he'll be a well-catered boy with love. Besides, don't you have faith in my power to bring down the enemy we're facing now? I won't be so easily defeated; this Number-One Unpredictable Invincible Ninja, huh?" He chuckled at the common joking nickname and cheered Sakura a bit. "It's all right, but I promise that even if we die in there, we should die with a _big_ _smile_ on our faces, and we shall reincarnate to meet each other and be a couple again in the Next Life." He sighed and ruffled her hair. "It's such a pity that we ninjas are leading a short life. I've wished to be the Hokage for a bit longer with you by my side till I die of old age."

"It cannot be helped, since we're all facing with our own destined road of fate." Sakura sighed as she's calmed down by his warmth and his steady strong heartbeats. "However, I hope that we'll meet again in the Next Life much earlier than we did now, so that we can restart our love much earlier than we do now and last for way longer."

They hugged each other in silence for a minute before the blonde spoke again.

"Sakura-chan, I just want you know that if I fail, then I can't keep my promises." He whispered in her ear. "I'm really sorry, Sakura-chan. I couldn't save him years ago, and now we've all become victims in his hands," A drop of wetness fell onto her neck, and his voice started to crack up and arms tightened up, "I'm very sorry…I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to apologize, Honey." She answered back in the same soft tone. "I know you've been striking hard to fulfil my wish. I'm really grateful for your efforts. It's just inevitable for him to be on this road which Fate's pointed and lighted for him. Therefore, you don't have to worry about that promise anymore…I'm fine with that."

"Are you sure…about that?" He's still worried and concerned for her happiness.

"Yes, indeed," She replied. "Back then, I begged you to save and bring him back, was because I loved him idly and I'm blinded from the true colour of everything else. Now I've no regret in choosing this path to be with you as my true love and husband, thus I've long discarded those childish past of fake dreams. He's now hurt our hearts, so I don't care if we would so kill him or not. He's such a great criminal now, after all."

"…Alright then," He said and released her. "Let's go and protect all of our love."

"Okay," She said. Together, they stepped out into the howling gale, to a battle…

********

It's the same as before: the blonde loomed over Sakura as he shielded over her. He turned his head and this time, Sakura could hear him, "I love you, Sakura-chan…" In slow graceful motion, he fell onto the ground with blood oozing out from his chest, where she'd just nuzzled into to convert her last emotions to him before this started.

"No…it can't be…" She murmured to herself and she crawled towards his body. It's getting colder by every second with more blood flowing out of the mortal wound. Through her experienced hands of a healer, she could tell it's all too late for anything. It couldn't be helped but for her to watch him breathe his last heave of his short life…

"No…please, no…I beg of you, please don't die…" She sobbed and panicked at it. When the body finally fell completely still in her hands, she wailed, "NO, NARUTO…!"

In the next moment, a long piece of cold metal's pierced through her abdomen, and steadily, some sticky warm fluids flowed out from the cut and dripped to the soil. The pain slowly came, but for not very long, it reduced and subsided to nothingness. Her eyelids grew heavy with a blurry sight, and her consciousness started to shatter. She tried to lift a single forefinger, but there's no strength left in her to do the action, let alone to support her becoming-heavy weight on her weak wobbly arms and legs. That same fluid started to build in her mouth and through her mouth it flooded out. Her nerves got numb. Every breath's so heavy. At the end of the horribly dark tunnel, a light shone softly and a man's waiting for her arrival patiently with his opened arms. She crashed into that chest and to her comfort her Blondie husband's grinning at her. Those two bright sapphires gleamed into her emeralds on his face with six whiskers…

* * *

"How…can it be…?" Sakura whispered to herself as she returned at the parlour. Standing in front of her was Naruto, who's as well shocked to have after the "travels". In his popping eyes there's revelation and disbelief, yet happiness stood out all those.

"Sakura-chan…" He murmured and he tugged a band of her hair behind her ear. The gentle touch of his hand with that soothing sensation throughout her body…yes! That's definitely…HIM! They're indeed the Reincarnation of those from the long past!

"Oh, Naruto…!" She cried as she crashed into his broad chest and snuggled in it. They did have united after all, and that the spirits of the two lovers were now in here. It felt like so long…so long that as if it's just a dream, being so nostalgic to her mind…

"Hang on…" Something's just struck his mind and he released her to look at her. "What about the Uchiha Prince? I mean, you're now lovers, right? By his previous life, he's not that person who would let go of his possessions that easily by any methods."

"No," She replied sternly. "I've always had a tingling feeling that he's lying to me. I've known that he's something hiding from me which would severe our relationship. I just don't want to break up with him and be alone again with a holey painful heart." Her eyes were smiling into his sapphires. "Now, I've regained my true love at all times, and I see there's no reason to stick onto someone who's disloyal to his love with me. Besides," She hissed at that sinister thought. "He's someone who's hurt us very much, for which his actions could never be brooked; he's such an evil unforgivable criminal! It's the best to go forward from my babyish thoughts, and lead a New Path with you."

He seemed more reassured by her words, stroking her hair and smooth cheeks.

"Kiss me, Naruto." She whispered at his lips. His smile deepened and widened, so he cupped her chin and bended down till their lips met and kissed like professions. Now, they really felt being reunited after their lives-long departure with each another. For a long minute, they broke apart for some fresh air after the nostalgic sweetness.

Sakura then finally remembered why she's brought the album at the first place. She opened the generations-old book and just like the one from Naruto's family line, and there's the other half of the original photo, which's a woman resembling Sakura. They put the two pieces together and saw that the ancient lovers were now reunited.

* * *

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Ino's totally taken back when she heard Sakura's words.

"What would I not dare to say, you pig?!" Sakura howled back in same volume. "I'm DONE with UCHIHA SASUKE and now I'm dating NAMIKAZE-UZUMAKI NARUTO!"

"Y-YOU _**BITCH**_…!" Ino's shrieked at the peak of her voice and charged at Sakura. Just before she could land a blow on Sakura, a hand grabbed her wrist and it stopped. Looking up for its owner, they found Naruto standing by their side with no emotions.

"For a puny piece of advice, Piggy: you dare hurt my girl, and you'd be so-so…!"He said so plainly that it's far away more dangerous than any insulting threats of furry. Ino gulped and apologized with sweat covering her face, so he loosened up his grasp. Turning at Sakura he smiled of such radiance that everyone'd be blinded by the light. However, to Sakura, the sweetness's never found from other people she'd met before. She indulged herself in his gentle caress and soothing words from the baritone voice, something which Sasuke would never provide her with during their times weeks ago.

"Where should we be going tonight?" She asked before the start of the lessons. Naruto ruffled her hair but being careful not to ruin her tidy appearance and grinned.

"You'll know, Sakura-chan; you'll know." He said spookily just as the bell struck.

* * *

"You know, Hun, you've really scared me back then though it's been two years." Sakura's reading a medicine encyclopaedia. A blonde head appeared behind the files.

"You _know_ I hadn't meant to, but you're so _nineteen_ going to _twenty_ back then, Sweet; you're of marital age! Hadn't we ever sworn to 'hold hands forever and ever'? There's no problem at all when I propose to you, yet you just couldn't stand on that." He's buried behind those files. "Needless to say, you're utterly happy with this, huh?"

"Hell yeah…" She replied with a smile and she looked down at what's below her. Crawling on the carpeted floor at her legs was an energetic baby with his fox plushie. He chuckled with a soft cooing as he punched and ruffled the enormous-to-him "fox". She put the book down, scooped the boy up and made her way towards her husband, who's engulfed in the horrible heaps and heaps of thick files over his throbbing head. After all, he's the CEO of his vast family business, place taken from his father, Minato. It seemed as if History's replaying herself, with the son taking over the father's works.

"No, it won't get in once again." He said as he put down his pen and hugged her. "The history won't repeat again, and we'll carry on with a new legend after the two." He teased his son, who giggled at his tickling. She snuggled into his chest, so satisfied.

"So surely yes, my Present Love of my Past Memories." She chirped fortunately.

* * *

**FINALLY, A STORY'S UP!!**

**It feels to me that it's been a long time since my last publish (Damn it to my student life!), and I've almost run out of ideas of new storylines for you guys. I tried my very best in finishing this when I finally caught it in my dizzy head. Here's the results! I'm really proud of it since it's a late hour and I'm really drousy, yet still I can keep up the good work. I've thought of many endings for the story, but following this is really the best choice of all (I've also imagined that Sasuke again kills them and everything starts again...).**

**In case you don't understand some of the scenes, I'll tell you that the story's kinda set in the HK Education system which people at their 19-21/2 attend universities, therefore the characters are all university 1st year students and they've all come of age to get married. I also tried my very best to follow the original storyline which Kishimoto-san's given us up till the destruction of Konoha, so please be tolerate with my errors. As for Sakura's job, she's a doctor professionalized in Medicine; that explains with the encyclopaedia.**

**Can you see I've placed the recent Naruto as the sixth, just like the shinobi Naruto as the _Sixth_ Hokage? As for the one that some are named "Naruto", I assume that some great-uncles or grandfathers are named Naruto at maximum of five people. (Sounds cranky...again, be tolerate with my errors.)**

**Anyway, I hope you've all enjoyed it!**

**Drops of Chastity**


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